FEATURED ARTICLES ABOUT MARKETING STRATEGY - PAGE 5

We all know of stores that have gone to the dogs, but here's a story of dogs that have gone to the stores. Hanging out one weekend in the parking lot at the PETsMART superstore in the Orland Towne Center mall in Orland Hills, one sees all manner of mutts trotting into the place at their humans' heels. One expects them to be ejected into the parking lot at the end of a shoe, but nothing like that happens. In fact, inside the store, Nikki, a 3-month-old keeshond resembling a living mocha-colored teddy bear, is having a shopping experience not unlike that of a human baby.

Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler and Chicago Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews trade tips on passing accuracy. Bears linebacker Lance Briggs and Hawks defenseman Brent Seabrook compare notes on how big hits can lead to big turnovers. Bears kicker Robbie Gould, with the Blackhawks' Patrick Sharp holding, tries to boot a field goal into a hockey net strapped to the uprights. It's one city, two teams and several goals. The pro football and hockey teams are partnering on a TV ad campaign, unique in that it will promote both franchises.

In his corner office, Mr. Botox looked his age. He hadn't had a shot of botulinum toxin in a while, and the furrow between his brows was back. "You would never know I'm really 75 years old," David E.I. Pyott said, trotting out a well-worn joke that he likes to make "because of who I am." He's the man who made a muscle-controlling poison the most fashionable weapon against aging. And he's really 54. When Allergan Inc. hired him as chief executive in 1998, it was generating annual revenue of $1.26 billion turning out nasal sprays, eyedrops and optical devices.

Ron Rakow had a cell phone but never owned a smart phone until a holiday promotion at U.S. Cellular caught his eye. He took the plunge in late December. "It's a computer," Rakow, 44, of Mount Prospect, said of his new HTC Desire. "I was thinking of going home and canceling my Internet service. " Rakow recently went to a workshop at a U.S. Cellular store in Rolling Meadows to get more comfortable with his phone and learn how to customize it. During the free one-on-one session, store employees walked him through using a navigation application, setting up a screen of speed-dial contacts and downloading an app that syncs with Apple's iTunes on his home computer.

Brazen Careerist Writing a cover letter for your dream job , but don't know where to start? It's a common problem. Many people are so intimidated by having to write a cover letter they skip it completely -- which can be a mistake: It's your first opportunity to make a stellar impression with anything but your resume, which can be dry. Your cover letter has to be excellent to make a good impression. If you include these five elements in your letter, you're almost guaranteed job-hunting success.

Victoria's Secret is thriving using a marketing strategy that seems more "Mad Men" era than from the age of Twitter. While other big brand retailers try to hone their social-media skills, the intimate-apparel chain is creating excitement with a network TV holiday fashion show featuring young women wearing Swarovski crystal-decorated lingerie strutting down a runway in 6-inch heels. The show, in its second decade, serves as the cornerstone of an efficient marketing machine: Last year, the special received its highest rating since at least 2002, with 11.5 million viewers.

The sound of progress to Sky coach Pokey Chatman is the silence that comes when a player talks about her girlfriend or seeing same-sex couples sit on the sidelines cheering at games. "I don't know if it's their background or where they come from, but nobody is going (gasp!)," Chatman said. "Even people who are not gay, even straight people who are married, there's no angst. There's no lines. It's not a topic. It's a non-issue. " On Sunday, the Allstate Arena will be a little noisier about the issue.

"The strategy is very simple. People enjoy natural foods. If you look at the restaurants today, they're concentrating on fresh ingredients, healthy foods. Wine is part of the natural, healthy lifestyle." - Robert Mondavi, chief executive of Robert Mondavi Corp., on the wine company's marketing strategy

Algonquin should seek Kane County grant money to help develop a marketing strategy for its planned 1,200-acre business park, the village's Economic Development Committee recommended Thursday night. Community development coordinator Jeff Mihelich said the village would be eligible for up to $24,000 under the county's new small cities grant program. Half that amount, however, would need to be matched by village funds and staff time. The village has received quotes of as much as $40,000 for marketing-strategy development for the park, which will be located west of Randall Road between County Line and Huntley Roads.

'It was a part of our marketing strategy. ... The aim was to "warm up" the atmosphere around the launch of the iPhone.' --A spokesman for Orange, a Polish mobile operator that hired actors to stand in line to buy Apple's iPhone as the device went on sale for the first time in the country ---------- Page compiled from Tribune news services